UMUR "Banished By Sin" is the thirteenth full-length studio album by US, Florida based death metal act Deicide. The album was released through Reigning Phoenix Music in April 2024. It´s the successor to "Overtures of Blasphemy" from September 2018. There´s been one lineup change since the predecessor as guitarist Mark English has been replaced by Taylor Nordberg. The latter is a relatively prolific name in death metal circles having performed with artists like Massacre, Ribspreader, and Wombbath (among others...). "Banished By Sin" was released to some controversy regarding the AI generated cover artwork, which many fans heavily critiziced.

Stylistically there are very few surprises on "Banished By Sin" if you´re familiar with Deicide´s output since "Till Death Do Us Part" (2008). Lead vocalist/bassist Glen Benton maybe sings more of his high pitched demonic vocals and thereby complimenting his raw throaty growling vocals which ultimately makes the vocal part of the album relatively diverse, but other than that this is Deicide as we expect them to sound these days...anti-christian/blasphemous lyrics and all. Although they can still whip up a storm of blast beats and fast-paced riffs, "Banished By Sin" is predominantly a heavy and mid-paced affair. Everything is delivered with great energy and skill though, so Deicide are definitely still a force to be reckoned with (scene veterans or not). The lead guitar work is blistering and powerful, and Steve Asheim as always delivers a sharp and brutal drum assault.

"Banished By Sin" features a clear, heavy, and powerful sounding production job, but to my ears it´s almost too polished for Deicide´s music style. A bit more grit would have suited the material better. Upon conclusion "Banished By Sin" is a good quality death metal release from Deicide, but it´s not an album which rival their classic 90s releases, which isn´t surprising since nothing they´ve released since the mid-90s have been able to do that, but that doesn´t mean it´s not a release worth investigating and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

siLLy puPPy As one of rock and metal’s most distinct guitarists on the scene since the 1980s, MARTY FRIEDMAN has remained one of the most creative musicians beginning with his days with Cacophony, crafting neoclassical classics like “Dragon’s Kiss” and of course bringing Megadeth to the highest ranks of the world of metal music. Despite his contributions to the world of shredding and guitar virtuosity, FRIEDMAN has also displayed a firm command of exquisite compositional creation with emotive albums such as “Scenes” and “Introduction.” After relocating to Japan, FRIEDMAN has also delivered many albums worth of J-pop inspired metal and has proven that his relentless pursuit of new avenues of exploring where the guitar playing can go is virtually limitless.

Now well into his 60s and nearly four decades after his work with Jason Becker in Cacophony, FRIEDMAN is still going strong and returns in 2024 with his latest solo extravaganza, DRAMA which finds him back in the role of guitar god after seemingly exhausting his love of Japanese themed music set to the world of metal music. DRAMA is a near hour’s run of FRIEDMAN doing what he does best and that is namely delivering sharp melodic hooks in the form of some of the most phenomenal guitar playing moves in the known universe. Like most of his solo offerings, DRAMA is a mostly instrumental affair but also finds a couple tracks, “Dead Of Winter” and “2 Rebeldes” with vocal contributions.

Also joined by drummer American Gregg Bissonette of David Lee Roth, Joe Satriani and Steve Vai fame, DRAMA also finds some classical music support from cellist Hiyori Okuda and violinist Miho Chigyo. as well as offering emotive orchestrations with Japanese pianist / keyboardist Mika Maruki adding beautiful textures to his melodic tunes. Long abandoning the one-dimensionality of pure shredding, DRAMA offers a collection of mostly mid-tempo tracks that implement some of the now familiar exotic scales FRIEDMAN is famous for and while shredding seems to be MARTY’s laser preferred mode of guitar expression these days, he still has the ability to crank out some amazingly virtuosic moves however always in the context of the melodic composition at hand.

In many ways DRAMA sounds like a collage effect of some of FRIEDMAN’s 90s work with a mix of alternative metal riffing, slower clean guitar playing on various musical scales that are melodic and in the case of this album an emphasis on emotive atmospheres and subordinate instrumentation. Personally i prefer the instrumental tracks as the vocal ones don’t work for me (i assume FRIEDMAN is the singer) however many of the melodies and styles seem a bit recycled and there is even a reprise of the track “Triumph” in an updated form that first appeared on the 1992 “Scenes” album. Overall this album is a bit too much of what’s been done before for my tastes. I haven’t really been blown away by anything FRIEDMAN has done since the 2002 album “Music For Speeding” but it’s a well played and well performed album. A little too mellow overall and i wish there were more upbeat metal moments. It’s a good album but not one i would call essential in the FRIEDMAN canon. Great to hear him still doing his thing though!

UMUR "A Mortal Binding" is the fifteenth full-length studio album by UK doom/death metal act My Dying Bride. The album was released through Nuclear Blast in April 2024. It´s the successor to "The Ghost of Orion" from March 2020. There have been a couple of lineup changes since the predecessor as guitarist Neil Blanchett has joined as the band´s second guitarist (he actually already joined in 2019 but didn´t perform on "The Ghost of Orion"), and drummer Jeff Singer has left and has been replaced by a returning Dan Mullins, who previously played with My Dying Bride in the 2007-2012 period.

It´s been quite a few years and albums since My Dying Bride released anything which surprised the fans of the band (the last time was with the release of "Evinta" in 2011), but My Dying Bride actually used to be (pre-2000) a pretty experimental death/doom metal act in terms of developing their music greatly between releases (the first five studio albums are quite different in sound and style), while still staying on the path of their trademark death/doom metal style. After 2000 they´ve released many high quality releases, but also a few less inspired ones. The latter are still quality releases, which could easily be other death/doom metal artists masterpieces, but when you set the standard as high as My Dying Bride have done throughout their great career, the fans also have very high expectations each time a new My Dying Bride album hits the streets.

"A Mortal Binding" is not one of the most unique nor is it one of the most adventurous My Dying Bride releases, and as a listener you get pretty much what you expect. So all the ingredients of a My Dying Bride album are in place. Lead vocalist Aaron Stainthorpe switching between death metal growling and darkly poetic goth tinged clean vocals, heavy doomy riffs and rhythms, atmosphere enhancing keyboards, and melancholic leads delivered by both guitars and violin. What "A Mortal Binding" does different than the last couple of releases is the focus on rhythm. My Dying Bride were always a relatively rhythmic death/doom metal act, but the return of Mullins has definitely pushed My Dying Bride in a more rhythm focused direction. So it´s not all just long droning power chords and slow minimalistic drumming.

The sound production is more raw, less polished, and more immediate than the last couple of releases, and at this point it´s a relief to hear that My Dying Bride still have a bit of grit in them. Opening track "Her Dominion" is the best example of that, as it´s a pretty heavy death metal track solely featuring growling vocals. Although other tracks on the album also feature death metal growling, "Her Dominion" is however a bit of the odd one out track on "A Mortal Binding", and I´d say the remaining tracks are more in line with what you´d expect from post-2000 My Dying Bride material. Highlights include "Thornwyck Hymn" and the 11:22 minutes long "The Apocalyptist", but as always My Dying Bride are impressive in terms consistency, and there´s nothing on this album, which isn´t quality material. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Unicursal" is the second full-length studio album by US, Florida based death metal act Nocturnus AD. The album was released through Profound Lore Records in May 2024. It´s the successor to "Paradox" from May 2019, so it´s been five years betweeen the two album releases. There haven´t been any lineup changes, so the lineup who recorded "Paradox" is intact on "Unicursal".

Although the current incarnation of the band formed in 2013, drummer/lead vocalist Mike Browning has a long history in US death metal, being the original drummer and vocalist in Morbid Angel. After leaving Morbid Angel Browning formed Nocturnus and performed on their two classic albums "The Key" (1990) and "Thresholds" (1992) before being fired from the band he co-founded. He shortly formed Nocturnus AD in 1990 but changed the band name to After Death. In the period 2000-2013 After Death released quite a few demos (all material from the demos can be found on the 2007 compilation album "Retronomicon"), but in 2013 Browning opted to change the name back to Nocturnus AD. He always felt that Nocturnus was his creation and he wanted to carry on the legacy of the band, but since he had lost the rights to the name, he added the AD to avoid legal action from his previous bandmates who still owned the name. When playing live Nocturnus AD also play Nocturnus songs, so in effect (since Nocturnus haven´t been active since 2002), this is the closest you get to the real deal.

"Unicursal" is a concept album continuing the sci-fi story of Dr. Magus which was initiated on "The Key" and continued on "Paradox" (a sci-fi story mixing anti-christian themes, with futuristic sci-fi themes, and fantasy mystical themes). Stylistically the material on "Unicursal" naturally continue the sci-fi themed old school death metal featuring prominent use of keyboards, which the band also played on "Paradox". Browning is a raw shouting/semi-growling type vocals, and while his vocals aren´t the most powerful death metal vocals I´ve encountered and his staccato delivery can get a bit one-dimensional and tedious, he has a personal style which is more than you can say about a lot of other death metal vocalists.

While the core of the compositions is more or less thrash oriented old school death metal the dominant use of keyboards and the blistering lead guitar work are some of the features which set Nocturnus AD apart from other death metal acts with the same base elements. The music on "Unicursal" isn´t terribly different from what Nocturnus put out in the early 90s, but I guess that´s the whole point. The novelty of having a permanent keyboard player in a death metal band wore off a long time ago, but that doesn´t mean the addition of keyboards to Nocturnus AD´s death metal music isn´t effective and atmosphere enhancing, because it certainly is. To my ears the keyboards have at times maybe become a bit too dominant and provide the music with an epic symphonic feeling, that´s a bit generic if you compare them to how the keyboards where used on the original Nocturnus albums, where they either provided an eerie effect or even worked as a lead instrument.

"Unicursal" is a well produced release, sounding clear and powerful, and featuring a lot of details. Producer Jarrett Pritchard has done a great job here. So upon conclusion "Unicursal" is another good quality death metal release from Nocturnus AS, cementing their return to the scene and showing the world that they still have lots to give. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Levels of Perception" is the tenth full-length studio album by Dutch death metal act Pestilence. The album was released through Agonia Records in April 2024. It features twelve re-recordings of tracks which have appeared on some of the band´s earlier releases. Not all preceding albums are represented (there are no re-recordings of tracks from "Malleus Maleficarum" (1988) or from "Spheres" (1994)), but all other Pestilence studio albums are represented with at least one track each...

...and the tracklist is up for debate. It seems a bit odd to me, why Pestilence would chose to re-record no less than four tracks from their last album "Exitivm". Re-recordings are usually done to show how a current version of a group plays older classic material, but it seems Pestilence had another vision with "Levels of Perception". "Consuming Impulse" (1989) and "Testimony of the Ancients" (1991) are represented by two tracks each (I guess they didn´t dare leave out "Out of the Body") but that´s the only pre-reformation material featured on "Levels of Perception". It´s not that Pestilence more current material isn´t decent, but it just seems a bit strange to re-record material from 2021 on a 2024 release.

When that is said, there are unfortunately much, much worse things to say about "Levels of Perception" which is through and through a horrible release. I can´t call it anything else than an abomination and a terrible misstep in the discography of Pestilence. The material is what it is, but the performances and some of the new arrangements are tame and uninspired. Honestly it almost made me cry listening to the re-recordings of "Twisted Truth" and "Out of the Body", which are two of my absolute favorite Pestilence tracks, both of which are butchered here (Patrick Mameli how could you?).

But the performances and the weak vocals from Mameli aren´t even the worst here...it´s the production values. The drums were recorded live at one studio in 2021 and everything else was overdubbed at other studios during the next couple of years. Many artists have made live recordings of drums in the studio and have gotten great results from it, but that can´t be said about the drums on "Levels of Perception", which sound like they were recorded at a rehearsal space (and not at a studio like they are) using an old fashioned four-track tape recorder. This is demo quality sound production values. And it´s not just the drums. The guitars feature an odd high end tone which is grating on the ears, Mameli´s voice is distorted and you can´t always make out the words he sings (which usually isn´t an issue on Pestilence albums), and the bass is completely disconnected from the rest of the instruments in the mix...and bass player Joost van der Graaf often sounds like he is playing another song than the rest of the members of the band.

A pretty harsh critique, which I´m not happy to deliver since Pestilence have long been some of my heroes, but I have to call it like I see it. Honesty and full disclosure. Pestilence have some work to do, to drag themselves back from this disaster. Their next album better be the best album they have released since reforming in 2008 or they may find themselves a fan or two short. You don´t come back from something like this without some careful consideration and reflection in terms of what went wrong, and what should we never do again...a 1.5 star (30%) rating is warranted. I´m tempted to give an even lower rating, but I´m trying to be fair and at least give Pestilence some sort of credit for existing, but there really isn´t much to give them credit for after listening to this album.

CounterClockWorld Salival is the first and unfortunately only live album by TOOL. I say unfortunately because this is really, really good and left me wanting more and I'm not even a big TOOL fan. This album is has mostly original material on it and God damm this must've been one hell of a show. The album opens with one of of not my favorite songs by them "Third Eye" it has a new intro and imo it flows better than the studio version, the ambient section always killed the paceing of the song but this version is slightly altered. The next track is a song from their debut EP "Opiate" the song "Part Of Me" and sounds better than the studio version, it's much more aggressive you could say it has more much more room to breathe. The next song is the final track that shows up on any studio album, the rest are originals/covers. This version of the Ænima track "Pushit" is a slower more tribal jam with a slightly longer runtime clocking in at 13 minutes, this is probably an unpopular opinion but I was never the biggest fan of (the studio version) but here I much prefer it. There's a quick interlude "Message To Harry Manback 2" not much to say about it other than it's creepy but an interesting track nonetheless. "You Lied" is a cover of a PEACH song, aka Justin Chancellor's old band and this song is a highlight for me, BUZZ OSBORNE of THE MELVINS shows up as the second guitarist on this track, Maynard's vocals are also really good here. Merkaba is one of the strangest songs by the band, it opens with this percussion sounds like it could be a xylophone or marimba, the song turns into a drum solo that's layered with a repetitive vocal sample and psychedelic effects, the song sounds like the older brother to Chocolate Chip Trip from the Fear Inoculum album. The next song is a cover of the legendary LED ZEPPELIN song "No Quarter", like the "You Lied" cover they remake the song in their style, it's dark and atmospheric the song has an extended instrumental section making it 11 minutes. The album ends with (what I believe was a hidden track on the CD) is L.A.M.C a skit type track with these dare I say creepy sounding repetitive (I think there call hammer strikes but don't quote me on that) the whole atmosphere is just off, for lack of better words. The next song is a personal favorite of mine "Maynard's Dick" it sounds like a parody of the alternative rock at the time and it's hilarious. But overall this is probably my favorite TOOL release, the instrumentation is amazing, the tones on the bass and guitar are phenomenal the drumming (like always) is on point and the vocals are insane Maynard in his prime, this has honestly become my favorite TOOL album I don't understand why both Prog Archives and RYM have this rated sort of low

UMUR "Necrology" is an EP release by Swedish goregrind act General Surgery. The EP was released through Relapse Records in November 1991. The original vinyl version features five tracks, but the 1993 (Nuclear Blast/Relapse Records) CD version features two bonus tracks. General Surgery formed in 1988 and released three demos during 1990 but "Necrology" is their first "official" label release and ultimately also the only label release before they split-up. The members have since been part of other prolific Swedish death metal and grindcore acts such as Dismember, Afflicted, Crematory and Regurgitate (some of them simoultaniously with their involvement in General Surgery). The band reformed again in the early 00s and have been putting out a string of releases since 2003.

The music style on the 15:35 minutes long EP is Carcass influenced goregrind. General Surgery is probably one of the earliest examples of a Carcass clone (along with an artist like Xysma). The vocals are the typical imitation of early Carcass too with one high pitched snarling vocal style, one deep growling vocal style and one gurgling/burping vocal style. The song titles are of course ridiculously long and filled with strange gory imagery like "Slithering Maceration Of Ulcerous Facial Tissue" and "The Succulent Aftermath Of A Subdural Hemorrhage". So while there are nods toward old school Swedish death metal in the music too, this is first and foremost a Carcass tribute release. These are just a bunch of guys who came together to share their affection for Carcass and ended up releasing the stuff they wrote.

The production is raw, savage, and brutal, but you´re still able to hear what´s going on most of the time, so while it´s pretty lo-fi in nature, it suits the music perfectly. "Necrology" is generally a celebrated release in goregrind circles, and it is indeed an effective and for the genre also relatively varied release. General Surgery don´t really bring anything original to the table, but if you´re interested in listening to an early tribute recording the Carcass goregrind style "Necrology" is arguably a good choice. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Internecine Prurience" is the third demo recording by Swedish goregrind act General Surgery. The demo was recorded on the 28th of September 1990 at the band´s rehearsal space. Only 50 cassette tape copies were made. Everything was recorded live in the rehearsal space, so no overdubs here. since the previous demos vocalist Richard Cabeza has left and has been replaced by Grant McWilliams.

While the Carcass influenced goregrind style of the first couple of demos is continued here (some tracks are re-recordings from the first demos), the rehearsal recording techniques (or lack there of) makes "Internecine Prurience" a much more raw, savage, and filthy sounding goregrind release than it´s direct predecessors (the March 1990 "Erosive Offals (Malignant Necrotomy)" demo and the April 1990 "Pestisferous Anthropophagia" demo). There´s definitely some nasty gore drenched charm and some pretty effective songwriting hidden somewhere beneath the noisy and unpolished sound production, but sometimes it´s a bit hard to tell.

When that is said "Internecine Prurience" is still an entertaining and effective goregrind release by General Surgery, and it´s certainly proof that these guys were on to something good. A 2.5 star (50%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Pestisferous Anthropophagia" is the second demo recording by Swedish goregrind act General Surgery. The demo was recorded on the 29th of April 1990 at Sunlight Studio, Stockholm, Sweden with producer Tomas Skogsberg.

The Carcass influenced goregrind style of the March 1990 "Erosive Offals (Malignant Necrotomy)" demo is continued on "Pestisferous Anthropophagia", but now we get to hear General surgery´s take on the goregrind genre with much better sound production values and it does make a difference. It´s still a brutal, heavy, and filthy sounding production job, but compared to the unpolished rawness of the first demo, this features an almost pristine sound quality.

General Surgery obviously also understand how to compose effective goregrind songs, so although the premise of the goregrind genre is relatively one-dimensional, the band are still able to change pace and riff style, drumming style, and vocal styles enough times during the three tracks, 5:44 minutes long demo for this to be an entertaining listen. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Erosive Offals (Malignant Necrotomy)" is the first demo recording by Swedish goregrind act General Surgery. The demo was independently released in March 1990 and it´s the first of three demos which General Surgery recorded and released during 1990. General Surgery formed in 1988 as a tribute to the early Carcass releases and it was always a side-project for the involved parties, who also worked with contemporary artists like Afflicted/Afflicted Convulsion, Dismember, Carnage, Unanimated, and Carbonized.

So with that premise laid out, it´s no surprise that the three tracks on the 5:51 minutes long demo are brutal, filthy, and gore themed grindcore with some deep slimy growling vocals complimented by higher pitched snarling vocals. General Surgery hit the balance right in terms of paying tribute to Carcass but also bringing just a little bit of themselves to the table. Thankfully "Erosive Offals (Malignant Necrotomy)" is not one long blast beat fest, and General Surgery actually quite often take the pace down to a heavy mid-paced groove.

Considering that "Erosive Offals (Malignant Necrotomy)" is a goregrind from early 1990 it´s pretty well produced. it´s of course noisy, unpolished, and raw sounding, but that´s how this type of music should be experienced. A 2.5 - 3 star (55%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Witness" is the third full-length studio album by Danish rock/metal act Vola. The album was released through Mascot Records in May 2021. It´s the successor to "Applause Of A Distant Crowd" from October 2018. A few videos were released to promote the release of the album.

Stylistically this is unmistakably the sound of Vola. Melancholic and atmospheric rock/metal with the strong and paatos filled vocals of Asger Mygind in front. Influenced greatly by artists like Katatonia, Riverside, and fellow Danish art/progressive pop/rock act Mew (although the influence from the latter was stronger on the preceding album). Compared to the more mellow and electronic tinged "Applause Of A Distant Crowd", Vola have opted to include more heavy distorted guitars and heavy drumming again like they had on their debut album. Keyboards and electronic effects are still a big part of the band´s sound as well as atmosphere enhancing choirs and harmony vocals. The tracks are predominantly vers/chorus structured and for the most part easily accessible. The strong melodies and melancholic atmospheres are the greatest assets of Vola´s music.

The album features a gorgeous, polished, and powerful sound production, which perfectly suits the material. This is not the type of music which would benefit from a more gritty and raw sounding production job. So upon conclusion "Witness" is another high quality release from Vola. To my ears it´s maybe a bit too formulaic and a few more musical experiments wouldn´t have hurt (including a rap part on "These Black Claws" does not qualify as being experimental IMO). A 3.5 star (70%) rating is still deserved though.

UMUR "Killing the Pain" is an EP release by US thrash metal/alternative metal act Fear of God. The EP was released through Bethany Records in 1995. It´s the successor to "Toxic Voodoo" from 1994 and it was the band´s last release before the untimely death of lead vocalist Dawn Crosby, who passed away in December 1996 as a consequence of her long struggles with alcohol abuse, effectively ending Fear of God.

The three tracks on the 14:11 minutes long EP are a strange, heavy, and murky sounding type of thrash metal (the instrumental part of the music is sometimes close to death metal territory). Crosby talks, moans, and screams her way through the songs (often buried low in the mix), while the band play a near chaotic and busy heavy style of music. The murky sounding production job doesn´t exactly help with bringing clarity to the soundscape. On one hand the raw and savage sound of the music is refreshing and very authentic, but on the other hand it´s not always a pleasant listening experience. The toms on the drumkit for example sound pretty horrible.

"Killing the Pain" is the least accessible release by Fear of God and it´s definitely their most raw release too. Who knows what a possible subsequent album release would have sounded like, but I suspect the band would have made something even more grim and vicious sounding. Even when the band is most melodic on a track like "Mourning Light", Crosby´s off-key vocals and rather original desperate delivery make it sound like the end of the world is near. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Applause Of A Distant Crowd" is the second full-length studio album by Danish Danish rock/metal act Vola. The album was released through Mascot Records in October 2018. It´s the successor to "Inmazes" from February 2016 and features one lineup change as original drummer Felix Ewert has been replaced by Swedish drummer Adam Janzi.

The material on "Applause Of A Distant Crowd" is, although it´s not as heavy and riff oriented as the material on "Inmazes", and generally features more electronic pop/rock music influences, still the sound of Vola. Melancholic and atmospheric rock/metal with the strong and expressive vocals of Asger Mygind in front. This time around just focused less on heavy riffs and rhythms (although they do appear on some tracks like they do on "Smartfriend"). Katatonia is an obvious influence (the Norwegians in Manes could be another valid reference and other times the Polish in Riverside), but also fellow countrymen in Mew are a big influence on Vola´s sound. Vola is often described as a progressive rock/metal act, but they are generally (at least on this release) a pretty straight forward vers/chorus structured rock/metal act with big catchy melancholic choruses, sophisticated choir- and harmony vocal work, and a great understanding of songwriting dynamics. There are a few exceptions on "Applause Of A Distant Crowd", where Vola treat themselves and their audience to some unconventional time-signatures and some pretty heavy riffs and rhythms, but it´s not the dominant sound on the album.

While some listeners may miss the heaviness of the debut album, this slighly more mellow and electronic tinged sophomore release is still a high quality album, which is wrapped in a powerful, clear, and detailed sound production, which perfectly suits the material. The melancholic melodies and atmospheric songwriting approach work really well, and although not used that much on this release, the heavy riffs and rhythms occasionally provide some needed bombast and edge. It is overall a soothing, beautiful, and mellow melodic rock/metal release though, so don´t come to this expecting something that´ll kick your teeth in. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Unnatural Selection" is the seventh full-length studio album by US thrash/heavy metal act Flotsam and Jetsam. The album was released through Metal Blade Records in January 1999. It´s the successor to "High" from 1997 and features a couple of lineup changes since the predecessor as guitarist Mike Gilbert has been replaced by Mark Simpson and drummer Kelly Smith has been replaced by Craig Nielsen. The new lineup toured Europe with Anvil and Exciter before entering the studio to record the material for "Unnatural Selection".

Stylistically the material on "Unnatural Selection" are generally a little more dark and heavy, and occasionally also more groove oriented compared to the slightly more sophisticated heavy metal sound on the two direct predecessors ("Drift (1995)" and "High (1997)"). In some ways I´d even call some of the tracks a bit brute (take a listen to "F**kers"), which isn´t how I´d normally describe the music of Flotsam and Jetsam. Flotsam and Jetsam are as well playing as ever and lead vocalist Eric A.K. is as always a singer extraordinaire, but even his performance isn´t quite up to par with his regular high level delivery.

Maybe the relatively abrasive and poor sounding production job has something to do with "Unnatural Selection" not being the best quality release by the band, but some of the fault definitely lies there. I´d usually go a long way defending Flotsam and Jetsam as they are an underrated act who have continuously released good quality thrash/heavy metal, but this one is a slight mistep in my book. It´s not terrible and there are still plenty of quality elements featured on the album, but overall it lacks sophistication and standout moments. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Inmazes" is the debut full-length studio album by Danish rock/metal act Vola. The album was originally independently released in February 2015, but saw a label release through Mascot Records in September 2016. Vola formed in 2006 and released their first official release in November 2008, which was the "Homesick Machinery" EP. It was followed by the release of the March 2010 one-track digital single "Glasswork", and the October 2011 "Monsters" EP. Then nothing was released for a few years until "Inmazes" appeared.

Although especially the "Monsters" EP featured some pretty high quality material, it´s obvious when listening to "Inmazes", that Vola were only in their formative stages as a band, when they recorded and released the three early career releases. They weren´t finished developing their sound and style, and "Inmazes" in all departments sounds much more fully developed and well thought out, than any of the preceding material from Vola.

Stylistically Vola play a melancholic and atmospheric rock/metal style which features both mellow and epic melodic sections and harder hitting and heavy chugging sections. The strong voice of lead vocalist/guitarist Asger Mygind and the catchy melody lines and supporting choirs and harmony vocals are great assets of the band´s sound in addition to the well composed and memorable tracks. It´s interesting to note that in addition to foreign artists like Katatonia and Porcupine Tree, who are obvious influences on Vola´s music, there is also a strong influence from fellow countrymen Mew. The track "Gutter Moon" is almost an ode to Mew or at least strongly influenced by the quirky progressive pop/rock melodies of that band ("Owls" is another example). The Mew influence is heard pretty much throughout the album when Vola don´t play their most heavy parts, then it´s other influences who are at play.

"Inmazes" features a clear, detailed, and powerful sounding production, and it´s a sound production perfectly fitting the material. Upon conclusion "Inmazes" is a strong debut album from Vola, and they immediately land on their feet with this release. They had a few years and releases building up to this album, and this is the perfect culmination of those years and the efforts made to come to this place. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.